MODULAR LOCATION TAG FOR A REAL TIME LOCATION SYSTEM NETWORK

• US 20150375041A1
• Filed: 06/05/2015
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Richley, Edward A., Turner, Belinda, Wang, Chang, Stelfox, Jill, O'Hagan, James J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,699,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10306 ultra wide band
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7097 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71635 Transmitter aspects H04B1/7174 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71637 Receiver aspects H04B1/7183 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/14 Calling by using pulses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A modular location tag, method of manufacture, and method of use thereof are provided. The modular location tag including a controller including a microcontroller configured to generate a data packet and a two or more individual transmit modules in data communication with the controller such that each individual transmit module is configured to transmit the data packet, each individual transmit module including an antenna and a pulse generator configured to transmit the data packet on ultra-wideband (UWB) blink data pulses. The controller causes substantially simultaneous transmission of the UWB blink data pulses from the respective transmit modules encourage reliable receipt of the UWB blink data pulses at one or more of a plurality of receivers.

Claims

1-54. -54. (canceled)

55. A wearable modular location tag system comprising:

a wearable article comprising a controller support and at least two transmitter supports;

a controller, supported within the controller support, comprising a microcontroller configured to generate a data packet;

two or more individual transmit modules, supported within the two or more transmitter supports, in data communication with the controller such that each individual transmit module is configured to transmit the data packet, each individual transmit module comprising an antenna and a pulse generator configured to transmit the data packet on blink data pulses, and

wherein the controller is disposed between the at least two individual transmit modules and causes substantially simultaneous transmission of the blink data pulses from the respective transmit modules.

56. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55 further comprising:

cables providing data communication between the pulse generators of the respective individual transmit modules of the two or more individual transmit modules and the microcontroller of the controller, wherein the cables define a common length, and

wherein the substantially simultaneous transmission of the blink data pulses is based at least in part on the common length of the cables.

57. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 56, wherein the cables are disposed within an impact absorbent material.

58. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 56, wherein the cables each comprise a plurality of flexible cables.

59. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55, wherein component based signal delays of the respective individual transmit modules of the two or more individual transmit modules are matched, and

wherein the substantially simultaneous transmission of the blink data pulses is based at least in part on the matched component based signal delays.

60. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to trigger the transmission of the blink data pulses based on component based signal delays associated with the respective individual transmit modules, and

wherein the substantially simultaneous transmission of the blink data pulses is based at least in part on the triggering of the transmission of the blink data pulses.

61. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55, wherein the controller or two or more of individual transmit modules are encased in an impact resistant enclosure.

62. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55, wherein the controller and the two or more individual transmit modules are configured to be mounted to a participant defining a front and back, wherein a first transmit module of the two or more individual transmit modules is configured to be mounted to the front the participant and a second transmit module of the two or more individual transmit modules is configured to be mounted to the back of the participant.

63. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55, wherein the controller and the two or more individual transmit modules are configured to be mounted to a participant defining a front and back, wherein a first transmit module of the two or more individual transmit modules is configured to be mounted to a right front portion of the participant, a second transmit module of the individual transmits modules is configured to be mounted to a front left portion of the participant, a third transmit module of the two or more individual transmit modules is configured to be mounted to a back right portion of a participant, and a fourth transmit module of the individual transmit modules is configured to be mounted to a back left portion of the participant.

64. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55, wherein the controller and two or more transmit modules are incorporated into a participant protective equipment.

65. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55, wherein the controller and the two or more transmit modules are incorporated into a participant clothing.

66. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55, wherein the controller is mounted to a participant belt.

67. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55 further comprising:

an environmental sensor in data communication with the microcontroller; and

wherein the microcontroller is further configured to receive environmental data from the environmental sensor.

68. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 67, wherein the environmental sensor is an accelerometer.

69. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 68, wherein the controller drives the substantially simultaneous transmission of the blink data pulses at a first rate based on the accelerometer outputting accelerometer data in a first value range and at a second rate based on the accelerometer outputting accelerometer data in a second value range.

70. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 67, wherein the environmental sensor is at least one of a heart rate monitor, a humidity sensor, a temperature monitor, a moisture sensor, a breathing sensor, a global position sensor, a proximity sensor, or a pedometer.

71. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 67 further comprising:

the microcontroller configured to include the environmental data in the data packet to be transmitted by the two or more individual transmit modules.

72. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55 wherein the blink data pulses comprise ultra-wideband blink data pulses.

76. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 55 further comprising:

a power supply configured to provide electrical power to the controller.

77. The wearable modular location tag system of claim 76, wherein the wearable article further comprises a power supply support, and

wherein the power supply is supported within the power supply support.

73-75. -75. (canceled)